Signal device



May 8, 1934. Y E F AYMAR 1,958,028

SIGNAL. DEVICE Filed Feb. 15, 1933 y Maw/ZM patented May 8, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to signal devices particularly adapted for usewith automobiles, and lmore especially to a new and improved warninglight and audible signal combination. The Wellknown stop light which iscommonly used on motor vehicles ordinarily provides a sufcient warningsignal for oncoming vehicles, since the driver usually has his visionfocused on the vehicle directly ahead. Quite a different situation ispre- 0 sented, however, when a vehicle is to be operated in the rearwarddirection, wherein anyone at the rear of the vehicle may be injured andthus place the operator in great jeopardy for damages. The primaryobject of my invention is to provide an improved warning light andaudible signal combination particularly adapted for use on motorvehicles, and more especially in combination with the reverse mechanismthereof, whereby to give both audible and visible warnings when thevehicle is to be moved rearwardly.

In its preferred form, the improved signal device comprising myinvention has the appearance of the usual stop light and is constructedin a very compact and substantial manner. This arrangement embodies theusual lamp reflector and rearwardly of the reflector, and preferablynested compactly therewith, is a gong which serves to provide theaudible signal, an electrically-operated clapper acting to ring thegong. As illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the light and clapperare both in circuit with a switch automatically controlled by thereverse mechanism of the motor vehicle, whereby the switch is closed andthe signals automatically operated when the mechanism is placed inreverse gear.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing, in Which Fig. 1 is a sectional View through thesignal device and illustratesthe same in combination with the reversemechanism of a motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the device on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. l

The signal device illustrated comprises a housing 10 having a bracket 12on its rear wall 15 for attaching the housing to a supporting plate orrod 14 by means of a screw 16. A base plate 18 for supporting the signaldevices within the housing is carried on studs 20 extending through therear wall 15.- Mounted centrally within the base plate is a bushing 22carrying therein a socket 24 for the lamp bu1b 26. The reflector .2aformy invention as including a single gong or bell, 1 it will beunderstood that, if desired, additional the. lamp is carried on theexterior of the bushing, the usual glass 30 being supported at theforward end of the housing and closing the front end of the reflector.The glass is held in place by a gasket 32, a rim 34, ,a hook 36 andclamping 60 means 38.

Mounted on the bushing 22 rearwardly of the reflector and concentricallythereof is a gong 40, nuts 42 and 44 serving relatively to space thereflector and gong and hold them in assembled relation on the bushing.The reflector and gong are preferably bell-shaped, as illustrated, andare assembled in a most compact nesting arrangement, wherein the gong isclosely adjacent to the reflector but is not in contact therewith. Aclapper 46 for the gong is operated by electro-magnets 48, also mountedon the base plate 18. One or more openings 50 through the housing,preferably covered by a -screen 52, permit the sound vibrations to passout freely from the housing.

The signal device above described is illustrated in Fig. 1 as connectedto and automatically operated from the reverse mechanism 60 of anautomobile. A switch 62, comprising a xed terminal 64 and a movableterminal 66, is carried on the gear box 68, a spring 70 normally holdingthe movable terminal in the open switch position. Whenever the reverselever 72 is throwninto operative position, a rod 74 connected theretofunctions to close the switch. Wires 76 and 85 78 extend from the switchand reverse mechanism to and into the housing 10 and are respectivelyconnected to the lamp terminals of the socket 24. Other wires 80 and 82connect such terminals with the electro-magnet and to a stud 84 on thebase plate to which the electro-magnet is grounded.

It will now be clear that placing the reverse mechanism in operationwill automatically light the lamp 26 and ring the gong, thus 'givingboth 95 sight and audible warnings that the vehicle is to be operatedbackwardly. It will,. of course, be understood that my compactsignaldeviee arrangement within the housing is capable of use in othercombinations and wherever such a warning is desirable. The glass 30 maybe marked with suitable warning words, as the words Look outillustrated.

While I havev illustrated the signal device of bells may be mounted inthe same nested arrangement and thus a greater volume of sound orvariety of pitch may be secured.

Itwill be apparent that the concentric and nested arrangement of theconcave or parabolic reector for the light and the concave bellof thesignal results in a particularly compact instrument for carrying out thetwo desired functions. Moreover, the arrangement is such that neitherelement interferes With the action of the other, since the reflector issupported within the concavity of the bell without any obstruction toits reflecting surface, and the sound Waves are free to pass outlaterally from the bell through the openings provided in the casing. Ibelieve that a reector and bell have not heretofore been mounted in thisnovel relation in an automobile accessory. t

`IIaving thus described -my invention, what I ent is:

A combined warning light and audible signal device, comprising ahousing, a base plate fixed therein, a bushing carried by said baseplate, a socket within said bushing adapted to receive an incandescentelectric lamp, a bell-shaped reector for the lamp mounted on saidbushing a bell-shaped gong also mounted on said bushing in nested andspaced relation to and rearwardly of said reflector, the gong beingdisposed on one face of said base plate, and an electrically operatedclapper for cooperation with said gong carried by the opposite face ofsaid base plate.

EUGENE F. AYMAR.

